Tissue culture tube rack means



March 30, 1965 E. GOODMAN ETAL 3,175,695

TISSUE CULTURE TUBE RACK MEANS 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed June 15. 1961 1NVENTOR5 N hw m M A w n A E M DD A mm W DE a m;

2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTORS March 30, 1965 D. E. GOODMAN ETAL TISSUE CULTURE TUBE RACK MEANS Filed June 15 United States Patent 3,175,695 TISSUE CULTURE TUBE RAEK MEANS Donald E. Goodman, Elkins Park, and Edward S. Mur= phy, Philadelphia, Pa., assignors to Advance Scientific Corporation, Philadelphia, Pa, a corporation of Pennsylvania Filed June 15, 1961, Ser. No. 117,224 Claims. (Cl. 211-74) The invention relates to tissue culture tube rack means, and more particularly to tissue culture tube rack means including a case for receiving a plurality of drawers, and a plurality of drawers each of which is adapted to retain a plurality of tissue culture tubes.

Although prior art tube racks have been provided, such devices have not provided a plurality of drawers each adapted to receive a plurality of tissue culture tubes, which drawers are receivable within a case. Such prior art devices, thus, do not provide for the rapid efficient handling of a plurality of tissue culture tubes retained by drawers in an assembled relationship within a case.

It is, therefore, a principal object of the invention to provide a new and improved tissue culture rack means for retaining a plurality of tissue culture tubes in a re quired position and inclination assuring proper incubation.

Another object of the invention is to provide a new and improved tissue culture tube rack means allowing the simultaneous processing in an efficient and effective manner a large number of tissue culture tubes by handling groups of such tubes by a plurality of removable drawers retained in a case.

Another object of the invention is to provide a new and improved tissue culture tube rack means which retains a plurality of tissue culture tubes in a position within a case for allowing maximum air circulation about the tubes during incubation.

Another object of the invention is to provide a new and improved tissue culture tube rack means for a plurality of tissue culture tubes having positive tube retention and allowing ready removal of tubes from their retaining means.

Another object of the invention is to provide a new and improved tissue culture tube rack means allowing the emptying of a plurality of tubes and the washing of such tubes without removal of same from the tube rack means.

Another object of the invention is to provide a new and improved tissue culture tube rack means providing a plurality of drawers each retaining a plurality of tissue culture tubes allowing the handling of a plurality of tubes in a drawer by readily removing such a drawer from a case retaining a plurality of such drawers and allowing rapid and efficient examination by microscope or otherwise of the tubes retained by such a drawer.

Another object of the invention is to provide a new and improved tissue culture tube rack means including a case receiving a plurality of drawers containing tubes, all of which may be effectively handled as a unit.

Another object of the invention is to provide a new and improved tissue culture tube rack means which may be stacked with other such tube rack means in a nesting relationship for full utilization of storage space.

Another object of the invention is to provide a new and improved tissue culture tube rack means with a case which is easily and readily fabricated and has long durability and shock resistance, and a plurality of drawers received with in such case each of which is made of a unitary structure and may be readily sterilized and subjected to heat without damage.

The above objects, as well as many other objects of the invention, are achieved by providing a tissue culture tube rack means comprising a case having side walls providing a front opening for receiving a plurality of test tube drawers, and a plurality of guide shelves connected with the fit side walls for slidably receiving respective drawers within the casing. The shelves of the casing are positioned to retain the test tube drawers at a predetermined angle to the horizontal which is most suitable for incubation of cultures. The case is also provided with top, bottom and rear walls having openings for air circulation, the openings in the top wall of the case also providing a handle means, while the top and bottom walls are provided with indent retaining means for the stacking of a plurality of the cases one above another.

A plurality of test tube drawers are receivable through the front opening of said case and slidably engage respective guide shelves for being retained within the case. Each tube drawer has a plurality of tissue culture tube engaging and retaining means and is made of a unitary structure composed of a heat resistant plastic material allowing sterilization without damage. The tube engaging and retaining means of each of the drawers includes a plurality of sleeves receiving respective tubes and a plurality of associated split ring clamps securing its respective tube with its drawer.

Each of the drawers has first and second side arms and front and rear bars connecting with the first and second side arms to form a substantially rectangularform. The front bar supports the plurality of sleeves and clamps in side by side relationship between the first and second arms for having a tube respectively received and retained in each sleeve and its clamp with the enclosed end of the tube abutting the rear bar and the open end of the tube extending from and beyond the front bar of the drawer. Each of the split ring clamps of the drawer has a plurality of inwardly extending bosses for making contact with and removably retaining the tube received therewithin.

One of the side arms of each of the drawers has a flexible handle with an extending catch portion for engaging and locking the drawer within the case, the drawer being released from the case by the flexing of the handle retracting the catch portion of the drawer. The side walls of the case have a plurality of slots positioned intermediate the shelves of the case providing drawer locking means for engaging the extending catch portion of the drawer for locking the drawers with the case when the drawers are received within the case.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will in part be obvious and in part be described when the following specifications are read in conjunction with the drawings, in which:

FIGURE 1 is a front elevational view of a tissue culture tube rack means embodying the invention,

FIGURE 2 is a top plan view of FIGURE 1 with a portion broken away,

FIGURE 3 is a right side elevational view of FIGURE 1 with a portion broken away,

FIGURE 4 is an enlarged sectional View taken on the line 44 of FIG. 1.

FIGURE 5 is an enlarged perspective view of a test tube drawer,

FIGURE 6 is an enlarged fragmentary view of the tube clamp taken on the plane indicated by the lines 66 of FIGURE 5, and

FIGURE 7 is a fragmentary top plan view of the test tube clamp shown in FIGURE 6.

Like reference numerals designate like parts throughout the several views.

Referring to the figures, the tissue culture tube rack means it) comprises a unitary case 12 which is preferably made of a high impact plastic material such as styrene, which has excellent dimensional stability and good surface characteristics. The case 12 is provided with side walls 14, 16, top wall 18, bottom wall 20, and rear wall 22. The side walls 14, 16 and top and bottom walls 18, 20 along their front edges provide an opening a 24 (see FIGURE 3) for the receipt of a plurality of test tube drawers 26 withinthe case 12.

The top wall 18 is provided with openings 28, 30, while the' bottom wall 20 is provided with a plurality of openers 26. The openings 28 and 34) also form a handle 38 in the top wall 18 of the case 12 allowing ready handling of the tissue culture rack means 10 as illustrated by the dashed fingers 40 shown grasping the handle 38 in FIG- URE l.

The top wall 18 and the bottom wall 20 of the case 12 are also respectively provided with indent means 42 and 44 respectively, for the purpose of stacking one unit 12 upon another unit 12. Such indent means 42 which re ceives the respective protruding means 44 of the case 12 above it provides a positive interlocking and stacking means for utilization of maximum storage space without the danger of upsetting or misalignment of the stacked units.

The case 12 is provided with a plurality of guide shelves 46, each of which comprises a pair of opposite strips extending inwardly respectively from the walls 14, 16 of the case 12 so that a pair of adjacent shelves 46 engage the bottom and top edges 48 and 50 of the side arms 52 and 54 of one of the drawers 26. In the form of marginal strips, the shelves 46 do not extend from one to the other of the side walls 14, 16, but provide an opening between the shelves 46 allowing the free circulation of air through and about the tubes 36 retained within the plurality of drawers 26 received within the container 12, for allowing proper incubation of the cultures contained within the tubes 36.

As clearly seen in FIGURE 3, the shelves 46 are inclined at a slight angle to the horizontal plane of bottom wall 26 of the case 12 extending in the direction along the walls 14, 16. This inclination is provided for retaining the drawers 26 and the tubes 36 within them at a desired inclination to the horizontal plane for proper and effective incubation of the cultures contained within the tubes 36. For example, such an angle of inclination of the shelves 46 with the horizontal plane of the bottom wall 20 f the case 12 may be three degrees. The seven shelves 46 illustrated the figures accommodate six drawers 26 which may be slidably received between the shelves 46 within the case 12.

Each drawer 26 comprises a unitary structure composed preferably of a heat resistant plastic material such as polypropylene which may easily be sterilized and provides a surface which is highly resistant to staining and discoloration and is highly inert to chemical action and provides excellent flexibility.

The drawer 26 includes a front bar 56 and a rear bar 58 which are connected by the side arms 52 and 54 to form a substantially rectangular structure (see FIGURE A plurality of sleeves 60 with associated clamps 62 extend from the rear of the front bar 56 towards the rear bar 58 of the drawer 26 and are arranged in side by side relationship between the arms 52, 54. The sleeve 60 and its associated clamp 62 are provided with a tissue culture tube receiving opening 64 which extends through the front bar 56 of the drawer 26. A test tube may thus be received through each of the openings 64 with its ends 66 abutting the inside wall of the rear bar 58, and the enclosable end 68 of the tube 36 extending from and beyond the front bar 56 of the drawer 26 when the tubes 36 are retained in position by said drawer 26.

The sleeves 60 of the drawer 26 each comprise a substantially cylindrical form with its front end 70 secured with the rear surface of the front bar 56 and its opposite sides 72, 74 joined with parallel adjacent sleeves 60 (see 4 FIGURE 7). The rear end 76 of the sleeve 60 and its respective adjacent sleeves 60' have posts 78, 80 extending rearwardly from the junction of the sleeve 60 and its adjacent sleeves 61).

The posts 78, 80 each respectively support a semicircular segment 82, 84 forming a split ring clamp 62 associated with the sleeve 60. Each clamp 62 is thus positioned behind the extending end 76 of its respective sleeve 60.

The opening 64 of the sleeve 60 is sufiiciently large to provide a clearance for the tissue culture tube 36 received therethrough. The split ring clamp 62 has a set of four bosses 86 which extend inwardly and frictionally engage the outer surface of the cylindrical wall 88 of the tube 36. Upon receiving the rounded end 66 of a tube 36 into the opening 64 of the drawer 26, the wall 88 of the tube 36 engages the bosses 86 of the clamp 62 causing the segments 82, 84 to be forced outwardly as shown in FIG. 6. The clamp 62 thus exerts a pressure upon the wall 88 by the bosses 86 firmly gripping and retaining the tube 36 within the drawer 26. When the tube 36 is to be removed, the frictional resistance otfered by the bosses 86 at the four points of contact may readily be overcome by the sliding removing action.

Thus, with the tubes 36 received within their sleeves and clamps 60, 62 of a drawer 26, such tubes may be handled as a unit for the purpose of examination under microscope for filling with materials and for emptying and cleaning. A plurality of drawers 26 with their retained tubes 36 may be slidably received between respective shelves 46 of the case 12 as illustrated in FIGURES 1 and 2.

To assist in handling the drawer 26, the side arms 52, 54 are provided with extending handles 90, 92 which extend beyond the front bar 56 of the drawer 26. This allows the drawer 26 to be readily positioned within a pair of shelves 46 of the-case 12 by sliding action or withdrawn therefrom by the use of the handles 90, 92.

The handle also provides a drawer locking means 94. For this purpose, the flexible portion of the handle 90 is extended in length by the cut-outs 96, 98 in the side arm 52 allowing the handle 90 to be flexed in a direction toward the handle 92. The handle 90 is provided with a wedge-shaped extending catch portion 100 for engaging and locking the drawer 26 within the case 12. To provide locking action of the drawer locking means 94, the sloped surface 102 of the catch portion 100 engages the side wall 14 or 16 of the case 12 resulting in the flexing of the handle 90 toward the handle 92, as the drawer 26 is slid into position in the case 12 along the shelves 46. When the drawer 26 reaches its finalposition along the shelf 46 of the case 12, the catch portion 100 snaps into the notch 104 of either the wall 14 or the wall 16 of the case 12 depending upon the position of the handle 90 within the case 12 (see FIGURE 2). The notches 104 conform with the wedge-shape of the catch portion 100 of the drawer locking means 94 so that the edge 106 of the catch portion prevents the accidental removal or withdrawal of the drawer 26 from the case 12. The drawer 26, however, may readily be removed by flexing the handle 90 towards the handle 92 of the drawer 26 withdrawing the catch portion 100 and allowing the drawer 26 to he slid out of the case 12.

From the above description of the tissue culture tube rack means, it is readily evident that a highly efficient means is provided for storing and processing a plurality of tissue culture tubes for effective control and proper incubation of tissue cultures. Readily removable drawers also provide means for handling a plurality of tubes, such as the nine tubes handled by each of the illustrated drawers, for placing same under a microscope, for inspection or otherwise handling in preparing and cleaning operations. All of the retained tubes assembled in the case may also be treated as a unit for emptying all of the tubes, washing and sterilizing same, and for other such operations.

The inclination provided by the tube rack means for the retained tubes and the separation provided between the tubes within the drawers 26 and between respective drawers 26 retained by the case 12, as well as the plurality of openings provided in the walls of the case 12 and between the shelves 46 thereof, assures proper air circulation and ventilation for proper incubation of the tissue cultures contained by the tubes.

The incident retaining means of the case 12 also allows for the stacking of a plurality of such cases one above another while assuring proper positioning and alignment of the cases and their tubes with the maximum utilization of storage space.

While this invention has been described and illustrated with reference to a specific embodiment, it must be understood that the invention is capable of various modifications and applications, not departing essentially from the spirit thereof, which will become apparent to those skilled in the art.

What is claimed is:

l. A tissue culture tube rack means comprising a case having top, bottom, side and rear walls with a front opening and a plurality of guide shelves connected with said side walls, and a plurality of drawers each for holding a plurality of test tubes receivable through the front opening of said case and slidably engaging said guide shelves for being retained within said case, the shelves of said case being positioned to retain said drawers at a predetermined angle to the horizontal and project inwardly from and along the inside of the end walls of said case to provide strips for marginally engaging said drawers and openings between adjacent drawers, said top, bottom and rear walls having openings allowing for air circulation about said drawers, the openings in the top wall of said case providing a stationary handle means and the top and bottom walls are provided with indent retaining means for stacking a plurality of said cases one above another, said drawers being each of a unitary structure and composed of heat resistant plastic material allowing sterilization and have a plurality of tissue culture tube engaging and retaining means including a plurality of sleeves receiving respective tubes with a plurality of associated unitary split ring clamps securing its respective tube with its said drawer.

2. The means of claim 1 in which said drawers each have first and second side arms, and front and rear bars connecting with said first and second arms to provide a substantially rectangular form, said front bar supporting said plurality of sleeves and clamps in side by side relationship between said first and second arms for having each sleeve and its clamp receiving and retaining a respective tube therein with the enclosed end of said tube abutting the rear bar and the enclosable end of the tube extending from and beyond the front bar of said drawer.

3. The means of claim 2 in which each of the split ring clamps of said drawers has a plurality of inwardly extending bosses for making contact with and retaining for slidably remoivng the tube received therewithin.

4. The means of claim 3 in which said first side arm of at least one of said drawers has a unitary flexible handle with an extending catch portion for engaging and locking said drawer with said case, said drawer being released from said case by the flexing of said handle retracting the catch portion of said drawer.

5. The means of claim 4 in which said case is of a unitary structure and composed of high impact plastic material, and the vertical side walls of said case have a plurality of slots positioned intermediate the shelves of said case providing drawer locking means for engaging the extending catch portion of said drawers for locking said drawers with said case when said drawers are received within said case.

6. A tissue culture tube rack means comprising a tissue culture tube drawer for holding a plurality of test tubes and being received on a shelf of a case adapted for receiving a plurality of said drawers each having a plurality of tissue culture tube engaging and retaining means, said tube drawers each being of a unitary structure and composed of heat resistant plastic material allowing sterilization and said tube engaging and retaining means of said drawers include a plurality of sleeves and associated unitary split ring clamps securing its respective tube with its said drawer, said drawers each having first and second side arms, and front and rear bars connecting with said first and second arms to provide a substantially rectangular form, said front bar supporting said plurality of sleeves and clamps in side by side relationship between said first and second arms for having each sleeve and its clamp receiving and retaining a respective tube therein with the enclosed end of said tube abutting the rear bar and the enclosable end of the tube extending from and beyond the front bar of said drawer.

7. The means of claim 6 in which each of the split ring clamps of said drawers has a plurality of inwardly extending bosses for making contact with and retaining for slidably removing the tube received therewithin.

8. The means of claim 7 in which said first front side arm has a unitary flexible handle with an extending catch portion for engaging and locking said drawer when received on a shelf of a case adapted for receiving a plurality of said drawers, said drawer being released from said case by the flexing of said handle retracting the catch portion of said drawer.

9. A tissii culture tube rack means comprising a tissue culture tube drawer for holding a plurality of test tubes and being received on a shelf of a case adapted for receiving a plurality of said drawers each having a plurality of tissue culture tube engaging and retaining means, said drawer comprising an open frame structure for exposingly retaining said test tubes therewithin, said tube drawers being of a unitary structure and composed of heat resistant plastic material allowing sterilization, said tube engaging and retaining means of said drawers including a plurality of sleeves receiving respective tubes with a plurality of associated unitary split ring clamps integral with said frame structure securing its respective tube with its said drawer.

10. A tissue culture tube rack means comprising a portable case having top, bottom, side and rear walls with a front opening and a plurality of guide shelves connected with said side walls, and a plurality of drawers each for holding a plurality of test tubes receivable through the front opening of said case and slidably engaging said guide shelves for being retained within said case, each of said drawers comprising an open frame structure for exposingly retaining said test tubes therewithin, said shelves project inwardly from and along the inside of the end walls of said case to provide strips for marginally engaging said drawers and providing openings between adjacent drawers, said top, bottom and rear walls have openings allowing for air circulation about the drawers and the test tubes exposingly retained therewithin, and said drawers are each of a unitary structure and composed of a heat resistant plastic material allowing sterilization and each having a plurality of tissue culture tube engaging and retaining means integral with its said frame structure including a plurality of sleeves receiving respective tubes with a plurality of associated unitary split ring clamps securing its respective tube with its said drawer.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 893,155 7/08 Evans 3l2-209 922,852 5/09 Cannan 312-333 1,318,007 10/19 Gau 2116O (Other references on following page} 

1. A TISSUE CULTURE TUBE RACK MEANS COMPRISING A CASE HAVING TOP, BOTTOM, SIDE AND REAR WALLS WITH A FRONT OPENING AND A PLURALITY OF GUIDE SHELVES CONNECTED WITH SAID SIDE WALLS, AND A PLURALITY OF DRAWERS EACH FOR HOLDING A PLURALITY OF TEST TUBES RECEIVABLE THROUGH THE FRONT OPENING OF SAID CASE AND SLIDABLY ENGAGING SAID GUIDE SLEVES FOR BEING RETAINED WITHIN SAID CASE, THE SHELVES OF SAID CASE BEING POSITIONED TO RETAIN SAID DRAWERS AT A PREDETERMINED ANGLE TO THE HORIZONTAL AND PROJECT INWARDLY FROM AND ALONG THE INSIDE OF THE END WALLS OF SAID CASE TO PROVIDE STRIPS FOR MARGINALLY ENGAGING SAID DRAWERS AND OPENINGS BETWEEN ADJACENT DRAWERS, SAID TOP, BOTTOM AND REAR WALLS HAVING OPENINGS ALLOWING FOR AIR CIRCULATION ABOUT SAID DRAWERS, THE OPENING IN THE TOP WALL OF SAID CASE PROVIDING A STATIONARY HANDLE MEANS AND THE TOP AND BOTTOM WALLS ARE PROVIDED WITH INDENT RETAINING MEANS FOR STACKING A PLURALITY OF SAID CASES ONE ABOVE ANOTHER, SAID DRAWERS BEING EACH OF A UNITARY STRUCTURE AND COMPOSED OF HEAT RESISTANT PLASTIC MATERIAL ALLOWING STERILIZATION AND HAVE A PLURALITY OF TISSUE CULTURE TUBE ENGAGING AND RETAINING MEANS INCLUDING A PLURALITY OF SLEEVES RECEIVING RESPECTIVE TUBES WITH A PLURALITY OF ASSOCIATED UNITARY SPLIT RING CLAMPS SECURING ITS RESPECTIVE TUBE WITH ITS SAID DRAWER. 